A grab handle spacer is a plastic component that helps to commonize sheet-metal attachment points for headliners and allow different headliner surface designs. In many applications, a grab handle spacer holds multiple resilient clips used to mount the headliner to the sheet metal roof component of the motor vehicle. FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art grab handle spacer S which includes a ribbed structure R to provide strength to the part. The overall wall thickness is constant across the plastic component. As a result, the prior art grab handle spacer S is quite rigid.
Sometimes during headliner installation, the resilient clips carried on the grab handle spacers are not or cannot be inserted simultaneously into the mounting holes in the sheet metal. As a result, the last clip to be inserted has to overcome some stress coming from the grab handle spacer. Due to sheet-metal variation, it should be appreciated that the clip attachment surfaces are not always directly aligned. The rigidity of the prior art grab handle spacer S is not very effective at accommodating sheet-metal variation/tolerance variation, thereby creating a higher insertion effort to complete the installation of the headliner clips.
This document relates to a new and improved grab handle spacer that is dual molded from thermoplastic material and thermoplastic elastomer so as to provide the necessary articulation to accommodate a variance in sheet-metal tolerance condition, reduce the stress on the grab handle spacer component and reduce clip insertion efforts at any assembly plant.